Jointed shaft.



510.815,485.kk l l PATBNTED MAR. zo, 1905. I J. K. STEWART.v

. JOINTED SHAFT.

` yAPPLICATION FILED JAN. 1e, 1905.

kazen/@Q55 nnrrEn STATES JOINTED SHAFT.

, f no. $15,485.

10 a/ZI/ wiz/0171, it mrtg concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN K. STEWART, a

citizen-of theUnited States, residing at Chicago, inthe county of Cook'and State of Il li' 5 nois, have invented new and useful Im rovements'in JointedShafts, ofwhich the ollowing is-a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

ro The purpose of this invention is'to provide an improved construction in jointed shafts.

for thepurpose ,'off preventing bending or crampiig in the bearings. It consists of the,features and elements of 15 construction set out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a sectional side i elevation of a jointed shaft embodying this invention and' the counter-shaftwith which it is connected, section being made across the zo support A,of the counter-shaftbearing bracket. Fig. '2 isa detail Section at the line 2 2 on Fig. 1. Fig. Bisa section at the line 8 3 on Fig. 1. By ,theA term f jointed shaft, as used in this specificati 11, `is meant a power-transz5-jmitting sh aft I which comprises successive' f' members or sections of a casing hinged' to gether vat their ends, each section or member l"having journaled in it a 'section of a shaft, such shaft-sections being connected together golf-0r driving at their proximate ends where :they: respectively 'emerge-from the casing- `Sections, so that the entire structure, comprising a plurality ofsuchyjointed oasingsectionsv and connected shaft-sections, opere ate's to transmit rotary motion after the man-v ner of ya iiexible shaftthat is, through -as many angles or turnsas there arejoints in lthe structure. It is vWell understoodthatr this form of ower-transmitting device has 40, certain `advan ages'over a flexible shaft, in

. 'y stiffness, the vibration'and springing to which these casing-sections 'are liable, arising from 5 5 the rotation of the shaft-sections in them,

" causes the bearingsiof the shaft in eachse'c- Specication of Letters Patent. Applicationled January '16, 1905. 'Serial Nc. 241,403.

ywith result that the shaft'rubs against f5 cult'y involved in the useof the ordinary fle'Xi `ble shaft in each casing-section` I employ 'tiret ,construction shown in the drawings,.y1n which* in each casing-section 1, journaled in ba'r- 9 5 'i l vbearings at the two ends ofthe casing-sectie and anintermediate principal piece 3,/con

Patented March 20, 19.06.I

tion, at the two ends or tne latter, to bef if i slightly out of line with each other orto tend f to become thus out of line, and this causes` a large increase of friction of the shafte'se'ctions 6o .u

at such bearings, which absorbs avery conl siderable percentage of the power emp oyed and which ought to be transmittedv with minimum loss. The same resulta-lossof.

power through friction at v,thebearings-#is26S also liable to be caused by the'tendency 'of-"',f" the shaft-sections, which are slender rela-i tively to their length between the bearings'in the casing of the sections, to become slightlybowed or sprung, so that a centrifugal' tend'o encyisdeveloped at their lbowed or lnaterallyf deflected part as the shaft rotates, such ce trifugal action tending, obviously, to furth lbow the shaft and cramp its bearings. Thisf f` dfcultr is not avoided Whenthe pornop's of the shaft in each casing-sectionis"alfle ble shaft instead' of a single rod or"'r ig1d element, because the flexible shaftv invariably and very readilyand rapidly develops the centrifugal tendency above mentioned', 8

side of thecasing at themostbo'wed orf'ce trifugally deected art, andthe endfe'le ments jour-naled in t e bearings at the',l two" ends of the casing-section are pulled to' ether'fSS 51' by such centriiu al deflectioniof the eXible. shaft, and thust ereis caused a double fric,-A

tion, which is as rejudicial to'the transmis-@if sion of power asl the friction caused by'crarhp ing, abovementioned. For overcoming thisygo l difliculty without introducing the equal difli-` ings a t the two ends of the .casingsection, -f there 1s ashaft section or element composed:f. of three pieces-two` bearing-pieces 2 2 inthe?v nec'ted to they two end or bearing-pieces nearE to the bearingsfthe connection Aorf joint `*bef tweenthe intermediate princi al piece and the end bearing-pieces belni o vthe nature of mit only a slight range of movement iny al vdiiw: rections alter the manner` of auniversal joint; f- It it not meant by this that a large-range' of? movement is prejudicial, but ly tl'iatf it is notnecessary to provide more 't ana v'ne`1*y 11rov slight movement, and thejoint may, there'- fore, be of a form which requires nofmore PTENT .JoHN n. STEWART, or CHICAGO, itLiNois.

25 easy in their respective bearings.

space than would be required for a simple straight shaft, for, as illustrated, the joint may be made by forming at the end of one of the )icces connected atthe joint-as, for example, the bearing-piece 2-an end slot 2, and at the connected end of the adjacent piece, as the principal piece 3, a correspondlng tenon 3**,tlie tenon fitting the slot loosely and the two pieces being 'connected by a 1o pivot-pin 4, which also has slight play in one of thc pieces, which may be afforded by slightly elongating'the pivot aperture, as shown in the drawings, in the pivotaperture 3* in the tenon 3a. An amount of play in all directions at this joint suiiicient for the purpose is, iii fact, so slight that any representation of it in the drawings to be visible to the eye is an exaggeration of it, and the `drawings are to be interpreted with this explanation.

2o With this construction it will be seen that the slights ringing or vibration of the casing,

which t rows the end bearings out of line,

carries the end sections of the shaft.v similarly ont of line, keeping them both, however, It will bef seen also "that the middle iece 3, constituting so large a portion of t e length of the shaft-sections in each casing-section, being nearly the entire length of the shaft between 3o the bearings, is not liable to develop any a preciable centrirugal tendency which wou d materially affect the bearings by reason of the tendencyto draw the ends ofthe shaft together and that any slight .centrifugal tend- 3 5 ency which mi ht arise from inexact con'- struction or sligght springing of this principal piece of the shaft-section will have no effect' to cramp the bearing-gieces in their bearings,- and thus practically oth difliculties above 4o pointed out are avoided.

It will be noticed that Ythe casin -sections 1 1- are hinged together inthe fami iar manner, which is shown in Fig. 1, at the upper end of the casing-section 1, where it is hinged to the initial or, ournaled casing-section 10,

and which may e further understood from the showing in Fig. 2 of the hinged lugs 1a at both ends of the casing-section 1, represented in that figure. 5o -When a jointed shaft has an initial element to which the power is communicated journaled in fixed bearings, the construction shown in Fig. 1 is desirably employed to facilitate disengaging the shaft from the power. 5 5- In 'this construction the wheel 5, to which thepower is communicated from any source of power, has rigid with it along quill or hol- `low hub-shaft 6, which extends through the bearing 7 on the bracket 8, and the shaft elef 6o ment 9, which is the initial elementofthe flexible shaftextends into this uill orhol-Y low slaft a sufficient distance'to o tain bearing therein, but is notengaged therewith, except by means of a pin 9a, set 'through the shaft-section 9 and adapted to be engaged with a notch 6 in the inner end of the quill .6, but which may be disengaged from said notch when the shaft-section is vwithdrawn longitudinally. To permit and also to limit such longitudinal movement of the shaft- 7o section 9, the initial casing element 10 of the jointed shaft, which is journaled in a bearing 11 at the opposite end of the bracket 8 from the bearing 6, is made longer than said bearing 11, and said shaft-section 9 being sto pedr 75 at its outer end against the outer end o said casing-section has a stop-collar 12 at the inner end of said casing-section, so that it is stopped both ways in said casing-section, and said stop-collar 12 is of sufficient diameter to .8o

vextend beyond the casing-section, so as to operate as a sto for said casing-section against the end o the bearing 11, and there by said casing-section has a certain limited range of sliding movement in the bearing 1l, 8 5 which is made suflicientto disengagethe in I 9 from the slot 6 in the end of the quill. The longitudinal movement for engagement and disengagement of the pin and slot may be given by the operator taking hold ofthe 9o next member 13 of the jointed shaft.

l claim- 1. In a jointedshaft, incombination with the casing-sections hinged together at their proximate ends, the shaft-sections in the casing-sections respectively, composed of a plurality of pieces, one iecev at each end being a bearing-piece journa ed inthe casing-sections and 'protruding therefrom, said pieces being flexibly jointed to each other near the jourroo vnal-bearing of .an end piece Within the casing section.

2. In a jointed shaft, in combination with the casing-sections hinged together at their proximate ends, the shaft-sections in the cas- 'x 5 ing-sections respectively composed of three pieces, one piece at each end being a bearingpiece journaled in the casing-sections and t protrudingv therefrom, and the intermediate piece having universal-joint connection withno the end pieces near the bearings.

3. In ajointed shaft, in combination with I the casing-sections hinged together at their proximate ends, the shaft-sections in the casing-sections respectively consisting of three pieces, the two end piecesbeing journaled i@ the bearings in 4the.casing-sections and pro l truding therefrom respectively,l the intermeldiate piece being connected to the other two pieces, the joint connecting said intermediate 1 2o piece with each end piece being formed by an end slot in one of the connected pieces and a corresponding end tenon in the other piece, and a pivot in connectin@r the two, the tenen having sight lateral pxlay in the slot, 12 5 `and the pivot-pin having slight play lon itudinally with respect tothe shaft in one o the two connected pieces.

4.'-In a jointed shaft,` power-communicating device ,a'xed element ofthe jointedcas- 13o such casing element-'is jouinaled the casin element having limited rangc'of longitudina movement in the bearin y; a poWer-'transmit- .f tingl wheel having a hol 0W hub or quill by; "fvfvhich it is ournaled, theninitial shaft elementl of the jointed' Shaft being intruded into l:sanidhollow quill for su port thereon,` 'and I1 0 ineans on the quill an .shaft respectively adapted to be engaged and disengaged by longitudinal movement ofthe shaft element.

lin

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand, in the presence of two Witnesses, at

Chicago, Illinois, this'19thlday of Decernhei',A -JOH'N K. STEWRT.

` In presence ofv GHAS. S. BUnToN,

FREDK. G. FISCHER. a 

